Image: njeda.gov – New Port Development Planning
By Peter Bouwhuis
Let me be blunt. We’re not ready. The offshore wind revolution is racing ahead, but the ports—the literal launching pads of this energy transition—are stuck in the past. It’s like trying to roll out electric vehicles without building charging stations. Sounds ridiculous, right? Well, that’s exactly what we’re doing in offshore wind.
I’ve been in project logistics for about 45 years. I’ve seen port bottlenecks. I’ve lived through delays that cost millions. But what we’re facing now? This is different. This is a systemic chokehold on an industry that’s supposed to be saving our planet.
A Growing Problem, Hiding in Plain Sight
Here’s the reality: Europe doesn’t have enough port capacity to meet its offshore wind ambitions. Not even close. The North Sea alone needs up to 1,300 hectares of dedicated port space by 2030. Right now? We’ve barely got 600. And that’s if every expansion project goes according to plan—spoiler alert: they won’t.
Think about that. We’re planning to go from installing 3 gigawatts of offshore wind per year to 25 gigawatts annually. That’s like trying to triple your cargo volume with half your warehouse space. You don’t need to be a logistics expert to know how that ends.
Ports Are Not Just Land—They’re Launchpads
It’s not just about having land by the sea. We need quays that can handle 5,000-ton turbines, yards for assembling floating platforms the size of football fields, and berths deep enough for jack-up vessels that look like alien spacecraft. Every project needs staging areas, warehouses, and heavy-lift zones—right next to the water. You can’t fake this stuff.
Yet ports are still battling over land with other industries like hydrogen, container trade, and cruise ships. It’s a turf war, and offshore wind is losing because the business case is too uncertain. Banks don’t like maybes. Investors don’t like 2040 promises. And port authorities? Many of them are stuck waiting for someone else to go first.
We Need Urgency—and Backbone
What frustrates me most is how predictable this crisis is. We’ve known this was coming. Multiple reports, from WindEurope to the North Seas Energy Cooperation, are screaming for €8.5 billion in port upgrades. That’s pocket change compared to what’s at stake—our climate targets, our energy independence, our industrial competitiveness.
And yet, the political will is lukewarm at best. Where’s the emergency response? Where’s the Marshall Plan for green port infrastructure?
Floating Wind: Great Idea, Bigger Problem
Oh, and just when you think it couldn’t get harder—enter floating wind. These projects are promising, but they require even more port work. Massive modules built on land, integrated at port, and towed out to sea. If we can’t even handle bottom-fixed turbines today, how are we supposed to manage floating farms tomorrow?
We Need to Talk About This—Louder
I’m not here just to complain. I’m here to say: this is solvable. But we need governments to step in with real funding, with clear frameworks that de-risk investments. We need public-private partnerships that move fast, not committees that meet quarterly. And yes, we need ports to stop playing it safe and start thinking like energy hubs—not just cargo terminals.
Because let’s face it: no ports, no projects. And if we let this bottleneck stall the offshore wind rollout, we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves.
It’s time to stop treating port capacity as a footnote. It’s the headline.
